The Grapevine opens on a frenzied scene in a suburban bathroom. A murder has been committed. A wife scrubs the evidence from her newly-decorated middle class bathroom. Her husband has been careless, leaving telltale blotches of blood. It is the middle of the night during a dry Canberra summer in 1979, and the cul-de-sac Warrah Place is about to change forever.
The bush capital is the perfect setting for Kate Kemp’s compelling slow-burn suburban murder mystery. The city’s wide streets and large blocks evoke a sense of isolation from the outside world while also establishing an eery locked-door scenario. Warrah Place, in the south, is surrounded by vast vegetation (where crimes can be committed and concealed) yet the community is insular. Claustrophobic. The neighbours are in each other’s pockets. They walk in and out of each other’s houses freely. Then the suburban peace is shattered by a grisly find: a severed foot, soon revealed to belong to 19-year-old Antonio Marietti. It is an irresistible premise.
The interrogation begins through the eyes of 12-year-old Tammy, who tends to her ant colony and keeps a close eye on the adults of the neighbourhood. She is grappling with the heartache of exclusion at school and is adept at making herself invisible “because covering up the truth of who you are was in her blood.”
Tammy idolises radical Debbie, who was having a relationship with Antonio. Tammy was also smitten with Antonio. These two are not the only females in Warrah Place drawn to his charm.
Tammy’s accomplice is the flamboyant little boy Colin, the son of Naomi and navy-man Richard. It is their white and yellow bathroom featured in the opening pages. Naomi has been rendered catatonic by what has happened, leaving Colin free to roam.
At number seven lives Ursula and her secret girlfriend Lydia, whose neighbours believe them to be sisters. Ursula finds an unexpected ally in Guangyu, who arrived in Canberra from Hong Kong with her husband and judgmental mother-in-law. Guangyu is excluded from the social gatherings and is happy to maintain a distance. She has secrets of her own. When she comes into possession of an incriminating piece of evidence she contemplates whether to share it, or not. It’s quite the tangle.
Author Kate Kemp is a psychotherapist and applied her training to the development of her characters, filling them out and supplying them with backstories. They each have inner lives they are hiding from the neighbours. They are expertly rendered and bring the era vividly to life. The women are in turn funny and heart-breaking, and it’s a testament to Kate’s skill that she has been able to so accurately conjure an entire neighbourhood.
At times some of the characters do tend to bleed together, particularly at large gatherings where they trade suspicions and gossip. In a sense, it doesn’t matter. Who says what is less important than it being said at all. All told, twenty-seven souls and a cat named Suzie occupy Warrah Place.
There are tender scenes when characters who feel themselves outsiders find communion in someone empathetic. New bonds are formed and alliances shift. At its worst, Warrah Place is a hotbed of racism, homophobia and tribalism. To not want children is a shameful secret. To be gay requires a total denial of self. The gossip-y, suspicious scenes are real enough to make your skin crawl.
Immersive, detailed and atmospheric, The Grapevine is a portrait of a particular time and a particular place. It highlights the freedoms we take for granted and the societal shifts that allow us all to live a little freer. It’s layered and builds slowly to an unexpected ending. Take your time with it, it will reward you.
Buy The Grapevine here and read the interview with Kate Kemp here.
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